English Bridle Leather
Leather samples are available on request
For my full leather straps I use exclusively English bridle leather. Unless otherwise stated or requested I use leather produced by J&E Sedgwick, manufacturers of high quality leathers since 1900. The leathers are traditionally pit tanned and hand curried to ensure that the fibres are strong and the leather smooth. For most purposes I use bridle leather that is 4 - 4.5mm thick, though leather up to 5.2mm is available for particularly heavy applications. For shorter straps I occasionally use bridle shoulder 3mm thick to give a little more flexibility.
Bridle leathers are available in a choice of colours as shown to the right. The white marking is wax which is polished off during the process of making the straps.
Please note that due to screen resolution, colours may not be reproduced exactly. If you would like samples of any or all colours please email me. I try to keep as wide a range as possible in stock, but occasionally don't have all colours available.
Left to Right:
Black; Dark Havana; Chestnut; Hazel; Newmarket; London Tan
How They're Made
All my English bridle leather straps are made using traditional saddlery techniques, and are cut finished and stitched entirely by hand. The leather is cut to width using a saddler's plough knife before having the edges taken off top and bottom to give a rounded finish. These edges are stained and polished before being creased using a hot creasing iron. This gives a fine professional finish to the leather.
Once the holes for the buckles have been punched the stitching is marked using a pricking iron. The strap is then stitched by hand using two needles and a saddler's awl to make the holes. Finally the holes are punched in the point end and the finished product is polished with a soft brush ready for delivery.